A dramatic change in fashion away from extravagance and formality began to
emerge in women's clothes during the last decades of the eighteenth century.
Influenced by a resurgent interest in classical culture, owing to the archeological
excavations of Pompii and Herculaneum earlier in the century, a neoclassical
style of clothing came into vogue. More loosely structured dresses made from
lightweight fabrics appeared in the 1770s and remained popular throughout the
first two decades of the nineteenth century. Frequently these dresses featured
a high-waisted bodice that was gathered and adjusted by means of a drawstring.
The example shown here, dated about 1822, consists of a satin underdress and an
embroidered gauze or net overdress.